Online, that physics-based chaos creates "the watercooler moment." Every fight in Undisputed 4 online generates a unique highlight reel. The new game, for all its polish, feels scripted by comparison. The persistence of Undisputed 4 online is a lesson in game design.

When you finally connect to your opponent—a stranger in Russia who is also playing a 13-year-old boxing game on a computer emulator—there is an unspoken respect. You aren't playing for XP or a battle pass. You are playing for the love of the craft. If you google "Undisputed 4 online" hoping to click "Quick Match" and play, you will be disappointed. That version of the world is gone.

But if you are a connoisseur of fighting games, if you believe that the best boxing game ever made was abandoned by its parent, and if you are willing to navigate the dark arts of emulation—the online scene is a hidden gem.